Li Yuanying didn’t know that many eyes were watching as they traveled to various villages. News spread rapidly through traders and their route was leak from Xu Jingzong’s men. As they reach a new place, people were already ready to welcome them.

On the morning of the third day, the party set off to their next destination. Midway through the journey the crowd gradually decrease until there was no one left. Unexpectedly when they were passing through a forest, someone suddenly jumped out. The escorts accompanying the group had receive Xu Jingzong’s order to protect the noble guests and as soon as they heard movement, they quickly defended and shouted vigilantly: “Who is there?!”

It was a frail-looking scholar, extremely thin and his clothes were full of patches. Seeing the guard’s protective posture, his hopeful eyes dimmed instantly.

“This commoner encountered a poisonous snake, he runs a little hastily. Apologies for startling the noble man.” After saying this, he dejectedly turn around to leave back to his original path.

Yuanying saw that he did not look like a villain and told the guards to step down.

“Didn’t you say there are poisonous snakes? Why are you going back the same route? Snakes and beast are throughout the path in this forest. You look like a scholar not a military man, isn’t it better to take the proper path?” (Li Yuanying)

Not sure which sentence touched on the scholar’s sadness but he sat on the ground crying, showing no elegance of an educated person.

Yuanying was stunned and turned back asking if he said anything wrong.

Seeing that the others didn’t have a clue, Yuanying asked directly: “What’s wrong with you? Are you in trouble? A man shouldn’t shed tears so easily!”

The scholar cried: “The right path is easy to walk but not everyone can on walk it.”

Di Renjie and Wu Mei looked at each other and realized that this scholar was probably here to air his grievances. When he saw government servants accompanying the group and that they were all teenagers and  girls, he backed down.

Looks like it’s a rather serious issue. Perhaps he filed a complaint with the county officials but got no result!

Di Renjie was thinking if he should hint Li Yuanying but the boy didn’t look back but instead stepped forward.

“Hey, stop crying. Where do you live? Is there anything delicious and fun nearby? If your introduction is good, I will give you a reward! If you have money what can’t be solved?”

Although the scholar was despairing, he did not dare to ignore the nobleman that even Xu Jingzong had to please.

He has a frail and sick mother to support  – if not for this, he would not be alive!

The scholar cheered up and talked about the mountains and rivers around his home. As for delicious food, melons are the most delicious. Now go ask for a ripe one and you can taste them.

Yuanying nodded and asked the scholar to lead the way. He wants to try melons with his friends.

Although the accompanying officials find Wu Zhiyuan’s crying senseless, they didn’t take it to heart. After all, aren’t all scholars strange?

They were relieved to hear that the prince is finally looking for good food and good fun. They have been working hard for 2 days and it was tiring following them around.  

The villagers’ attitude were drastically different towards the group, but this was because Li Yuanying exchange hospitality with money. In the future when they had to run errands, things will return to status quo. Let’s just do as little work as possible!

The group followed the scholar home. When Yuanying saw that he had stopped crying, he started chatting with him like how he did with the locals.

The scholar’s name is Wu Zhiyuan and he studied in a county school and was the hope of his family. He had an older brother, a younger sister, and a frail sick old mother. Yuanying didn’t manage to get any info beyond that. The scholar’s village was not far from the mountain forest and Yuanying tried identifying it on his route map but could not find it. He asked the scholar what his village is called.

“Everyone’s surname is Wu, so we call it Wu Family Village.”

It’s located at the northern foot of Zhongnan Mountain and you’ll see lush mountain peaks not far away. It is said that those who rely on mountains and rivers can live a decent life. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have the opportunity to study in a proper school.

Li Yuanying had not been to Zhongnan Mountain yet. The late Emperor built Taihe Palace in Zhongnan Mountain and even came here to hunt and escape the summer heat. However, he abdicated not long after and a few years later this palace was abolished. Therefore, the boy never had a chance to visit the splendor of Zhongnan Mountain. Seeing Wu Zhiyuan looking dejected, he asked: “Can we visit Taihe Palace? I haven’t been there, I want to see it.”

Although Wu Zhiyuan was miserable he had read books and had had some worldly experience. He knew that a member of the noble royal family needed to be treated well so he could only reply that it was quite far but there’s a way to visit it.

“That works! Let’s go there after finishing a meal!”

Yuanying followed him into Wu family village and split his group into 2. He led his group to finish up their assignment while the people escorting them were asked to look for delicious melons. After all they are here on a project so they should prioritize working first.

Yuanying is as usual generous and gave them enough money to buy multiple carts of melons. The men all hit their chests promising to bring the sweetest melon in the village to him. Yuanying smilingly said: “If it’s really sweet, I will reward you.”

The county escorts enthusiastically went looking for melons.

After getting rid of the escorts, Yuanying followed Wu Zhiyuan home saying that he wanted to rest. Upon entering his house, he asked: “Say it. What grievances have befallen your family?”

Although Li Yuanying is no Bao Qingtian ^[1]A famous politician in the Song Dynasty known for his upright character and upholding justice he could see that Wu Zhiyuan cried and spoke strangely. There must be something very wrong!

Di Renjie and Wu Mei looked at each other and agreed that Yuanying responded quickly and even knew how to avoid asking questions in front of government officials.

Seeing this village that did not appear on the map, they knew that Xu Jingzong had pre-planned everything to “entertain” them well. Everywhere they went was carefully chosen and was calm and peaceful. No matter how carefully they try digging, they wouldn’t find anything wrong!

The group weren’t here to find fault in the first place so they naturally didn’t think anything was fishy at first. Even if there were missing villages on the way, Xu Jingzong could just say that they were small or that he had just send people to check on them and had not updated the record. After all, they are here for only 2-3 months, how can they visit all the villages? Just pick some suitable ones and let them explore!

Both Di Renjie and Wu Mei were proud people. From Xu Jingzong’s arrangement, they sense that he was belittling them and they were not happy about it. Due to this, they did not stop Li Yuanying from asking questions.

Wu Zhiyuan finally understood that Li Yuanying had deliberately dismissed the government officials and immediately started crying. The sobs alarmed Wu’s mother and she came into the room with a stick and saw a group of well dressed people in extraordinary clothes, obviously “nobles” that were being talked about.

When she saw that her son had brought them home, she knelt down and bowed twice to Li Yuanying.

Wu Zhiyuan followed and did the same.

Seeing their actions, Yuanying knew that his hunch was right. He quickly help them up and asked them to sit down and share their story. It was some time last year where Wu Zhiyuan fell in love with a girl who was a stateless servant tenant at the Yin family village. According to the country’s law a fugitive is not allowed to marry a citizen. Her family wanted her to become a maid for the Yin family and with that she wouldn’t be allowed to get married.

Wu Zhiyuan had heard in school about the Emperor’s edict for the stateless to register themselves as citizens and tried convincing the family to do so. However just as the family tried discussion this issue, others found out and on the next day a family member fell to his death while working. Just as they were burying the dead, someone broke into their house and entered the girl’s room creating scandal that harms her reputation.  

The poor girl was badly critique by her newly widowed mother and she decided to take her own life.

The family had no sons and with 1 old and 1 young gone, the mother couldn’t handle reality and passed away soon after.

Wu Zhiyuan had suggested the idea and then left for school so he only found out much later and was badly traumatized by it. People were saying that the family of 3 had all died in shameful conditions all because they wanted to register for citizenship. Wu Zhiyuan regretted his suggestion. Hearing that his beloved died in a humiliating manner and didn’t even have a tomb but was thrown into the wilderness, he became mad and went into the wilderness looking for her bones that was eaten by beasts and secretly buried her. After that day, he looked like he has lost his soul.

Coincidentally one day the county magistrate visited his school and Wu Zhiyuan shared all about the pitiful death of his beloved’s family hoping that the county magistrate would avenged them. Xu Jingzong’s attitude was calm in the beginning but within a few days, Wu was expelled from school and when he returned home filled with grief, he was shocked to learn that his father and brother were washed away by tides when they were building a bridge for the county government.

Everyone said that it was an accident, no one had expected that the water would suddenly rise so high and sweep people away in the blink of an eye! The county government close the case based on this fact. As for the young lady’s family, since they are stateless no one recorded anything about them.  Which county wants to add a murder case to their record? So, if they are dead so be it, no one will care.

Accidents happen all the time but why did everything happen to him at one go? Wu Zhiyuan instantly understood that not only did his beloved and her family die because of him, his father and brother also met the same fate. Maybe it was because he was a student at the county school and would bring too much attention that his life was spared.

With no father, brother, lover and nothing. Life was hell and Wu Zhiyuan became thinner by the day. If not for the fact that he had to take care of his mother he would not have kept himself alive.

Li Yuanying wasn’t expecting such a tragic story.

The Yin family was not on his route but when the scholar mentioned Yin family in Hu County, Yuanying remembered. Didn’t he just saw a picture of the 24 Heroes? Among them was someone named Yin, the Duke of Xun Guo named Yin Kaishan. Yin Kaishan had no biological son and so his successor was his nephew Yin Yuan. Although he had not heard about Yin Yuan being particularly outstanding, he was someone that the Emperor remembers and so is somewhat favoured by the Emperor.

Is the Yin family village mentioned by Wu Zhiyuan related to the Xun Guo family?

Thinking about how Xu Jingzong treated him with such attentiveness,  Yuanying knew that even if Duke Xun Guo never asked for it, Xu Jingzong would have taken the initiative to “handle” the situation cleanly and properly.

“Do you have evidence in your hands?”

Wu Zhiyuan was speechless.

Li Yuanying understood that he didn’t.

“You two, mother and son, come with me to Taihe Palace. I will ask someone to wait there. After we say goodbye, I will take you to my house to stay temporarily. I will ask someone to investigate. If it is true, and I will definitely give you justice; but if it turns out that’s not the case, just live your life well, support your mother, and stop thinking about this anymore.”

When people are sad, they may blame unrelated people. Li Yuanying feels that it is better to investigate thoroughly.

Hearing Li Yuanying say that he will keep mother and son safe, Wu Zhiyuan’s eyes ignited with hope and said hesitantly: “I have a younger sister…”

“Bring her along.”

Wu Zhiyuan called his sister out. She was about 13 or 14, quite smart but a little shy. After she came out, she held onto the corner of mother’s clothes and timidly follow  mother’s instructions to say hello to Li Yuanying.

Li Yuanying nodded and said no more. He discussed a few words with Di Renjie and the others and whistle to call his white-headed bird. He asked for paper and pen to deliver a message to Dong Xiaoyi.

After finishing, he did not linger any longer but continued with their work.

The county officer in-charged were informed about everything that had happened and he very cooperatively brought the group around homes securing data for the census study, He also probe about how  Li Yuanying met Wu Zhiyuan.

 Yuanying shared Wu Zhiyuan’s encounter with a poisonous snake and then ask the county officer why did the youth stopped studying. Did he meet any difficulty at home? It’s not easy to become a scholar in a rural area so he shouldn’t give up just because his family is poor!

Believing that Yuanying wasn’t aware about anything, the officer just replied that Wu Zhiyuan had just lost his mother and had to observe filial piety for 3 years. He cannot study for the time being but he promised to persuade him to do so in the future.

Li Yuanying didn’t seem interested in whether Wu Zhiyuan continued his study so he didn’t continue the conversation. Instead, Yuanying mentioned about Wu Zhiyuan’s sister: “The sister is really pretty.”

There was a surge of excitement in the room. Earlier, when he saw the prince travelling with 3 beautiful young ladies, he felt that the young prince was lucky. Now that he has said something like this, the county officer naturally thought that Prince Teng might have fallen in love with the young Wu lady!

Is Wu Zhiyuan’s luck going to change?

The officer found an opportunity to excuse himself and whispered a few words to a trusted nephew to quickly inform Magistrate Xu about the Prince’s contact with Wu Family Village and Wu Zhiyuan’s family. If Wu Zhiyuan’s luck really changes, those responsible for taking action against him will definitely suffer!

Notes from the author:

Little Prince: The world outside is so dangerous!